Article-holding device.



G. COLL'IS, DECD. F. M. COLLIS, EXECUTRlX. ARTICLE HOLDING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20. 1915.

Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

Wim come/a PLANOGRAPH c0.. WASHiNdTuN. D. c.

s'r'rs PA GEORGE coLLIs, 0F CLINTON, IOWA; FLORENCE MAY CoLLIs, EXECUTRIX or SAID GEORGE coLLIs, DECEASED, ASSIGNOR TO THE CoLLIs COMPANY, 0E CLINTON,

IOWA, A CORPORATION OF IOWA.

ARTICLE-HOLDIN DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

Application filed February 20, 1915. Serial No. 9,657.

Clinton, in the county of Clinton and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Article-Holding Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to apparatus employed in connection with the coating or icing of articles of food. It has reference, more particularly, to instrumentalities for changing the relative position of the articleholding racks, sustained by a traveling element, which forms a component in this type of apparatus.

The present invention is an improvement on, or a carrying forward of, the structure disclosed in United States Letters-Patent No. 1,130,377, granted March 2, 1915, to me for an improved icing device; therein, is disclosed a structure which is so operated that it is unnecessary for the operator manually to turn the rack, this being accomplished automatically. In that structure, the racks were so attached to a traveling element that they could not readily be adjusted, individually.

The present invention has for one of its objects the provision of means whereby the operator can, conveniently and quickly, turn each rack bodily on its axial support.

In this type of structure, where the pendent racks are secured to the traveling element and not arranged for being turned individually, the cakes, having been dipped in the sugar or other coating, are placed on the racks as they move with the traveling element so that such cakes can dry or harden. There is a tendency, however, for the icing to run to one side and form a drop, even after the surplus has dropped off. It has, therefore, become the practice, in the factories where this type of apparatus is utilized, to station an employee atone of the turn ing places of the chain-carrier so that she may run her fingers along this drop to remove it. Obviously, this has objections and especially from a sanitary standpoint. Moreover, it has the effect of breaking some of the cakes off the racks, which means a material loss. By the present structure, these objectionable features in the old apparatus are avoided, the employee, by stand ing at a predetermined place-and not necessarily at the turning point in the chain system'may, by lifting the carrierlor rack slightly at one end, permit or causethe carrier-bar to rotate in its supporting hole in the hook at the opposite end; and, when the hooks are again in a horizontal position,the carrier'is dropped into a key-hole shaped slot and therein becomes locked against rotative movement until manipulated by the attendant, again. This turning is done at a time when the icing will flow partly back, and this will leave a neat appearance; it avoids the unsanitary feature above mentioned; and it saves the loss in material. Where the icing is thin, this turning may be accomplished as often as may benecessary to produce the required results.

The invention, in general, seeks to provide an icing device which is particularly adapted for use where the formation of the drop is of moment. The structure, from an operative standpoint, has been found in practical use to possess a high degree of efiiciency and durability Structurally con-' sidered, it is of great simplicity.

Various objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious from the annexed drawings; while others will be pointed out in the following description.

The invention resides broadly in the features of construction, combination of elements, and the relative aggroupment of the components thereof, all as exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of applicationof which will be indicated in the claims hereto appended.

That the invention may be clearly comprehended, drawings illustrating a possible utilization of the same are hereto appended as a part of this disclosure; it being manifest that other possible utilizations and em bodiments (employing the underlying prinoiples of my invention fall within the spirit thereof and within the objects contemplated thereby. I

In these drawings: Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in elevation of an icing apparatus constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective, on an enmentary view in vertical section of the rack locking device; and Fig. 4c is a similar view in section on the line 1%, Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the referencenumeral 1 designates, generally, the wheelsupporting frame of the apparatus. Mounted on shafts 2 and 3, suitably journaled in the uprights 4 and 5, respectively, are chainrotating drums or wheel-frames 6 and 7, at least one of which may be power driven in any appropriate manner. Supported by and traveling around the drums is a traveling element which, in this instance, is shown as an endless carrier or chain 8 composed in part of links 9. This partof the apparatus is known structure and, therefore, requires no detailed description since it specifically forms no part of my present invention except in so far as it constitutes a support for the instrumentalities now to be described.

Depending from the links 9 of the traveling element 8, at each side of the structure, are series of hooked rack-sustaining members or carriers 10 and 11. Each hookmember 10 comprises a shank-portion 12, a chain-attaching hook-portion 13, and an eye-portion 14. Each hook-member 11 comprises a shank-portion 15, a chain-attaching hook-portion 16 (similar to that onthe hook-member 10), and a rack-locking portion 17. The portion 17 is formed by bending the strand of the member 11 so as to present an enlarged space 18 of predetermined dimensions. Below this space, the sections 19 of the portion are in substantial parallelism and more narrowly spaced than the sections 20 of the strand which form, in part, the space 18.

Extending between and supported by the hook-members 10 and 11 is a rack or carrier 21 to which are attached a series of pairs of article-holding wires 22 outstanding therefrom normally in a horizontal plane. The rack, in its general form and provided with the article-holding wires, constitutes the subject-matter of United States Letters-Patent No. 1,130,87 6, granted March 2, 1915, to mefor an improved icingrack.

One end of the rack is threaded to receive two spaced-apart nuts 23 and 24:. Between these nuts and encompassing the rack 21 is the eye-portion 14. of the hook-member 10. The eye-portion constitutes a bearing for that end of the rack which has a rotative movement therein. The opposite end of the rack is provided with a pair of bearing-elements fast on the rack and comprising a collar 25 provided with a boss 26 having two flat sides and two rounded portions, as shown in Fig. 3. Abutting against the face of the boss 26 is a disk 28. The peripheral portions of the collar 25 and disk 28 are spaced apart to permit the lockdistance between the sections 20, the boss is 1 thereby held against rotative movement. If it be desired, however, to turn the rack, the attendant grasps the turning piece 27 and raises the rack until the boss is positioned in the space 18. There it is free to be rotated, the hearing at the opposite end permitting this. It will, therefore, be seen that the rack\vhen the boss 26 is in one position-is designed to efl'ect its locking against rotative movement; whereas, when it is in a raised position, the rack is free to be rotated. This enables the operator to reverse the position of the article-holding wires.

Operation: Assuming that the apparatus is in operation and that cakes, cookies, etc, have been placed on the article-holding wires 22 and dipped; now, if the operator perceives that some of the cakes on a particular rack are running and forming a drop, she turns that rack, in the manner explained, to reverse the position of, or rotate, the articles thereon. To accomplish this, the attendant disengages the boss 26 from between the sections 19 and gives the rack a partial or full turn and then lets the boss resume its locked position between the wire-sections 19. This turning is preferably done at a time when the icing is yet in such condition as to flow partly back.

From the foregoing, it will be perceived that I have devised a rack-turning and looking structure which is well adapted to achieve the several objects and ends in view. It is simple and compact in form.

As many changes can be made in the above-described construction and as many widely different embodiments of this invention can be made without departing from the spirit thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing de scription and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. It is, moreover, to be recognized that the language employed in the following claims is intended to cover not only the specific features of the invention but the generic features as well.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for icing cakes and the like including a traveling element; pendent rack-sustaining members carried thereby; a rack extending between and rotatably supported on said members; and means interincluding a traveling element; rack-sustaining members carried thereby; a rack extending between and rotatably supported on said members; and means for temporarily holding the rack against rotative movement, comprising a collar fast on the rack, and an encompassing portion of one of said sustaining members.

4:. Apparatus for icing cakes and the like including a traveling element; rack-sustaining members carried thereby; a rack extending between and rotatably supported on said members; and means for temporarily holding the rack against rotative movement, comprising a collar fast on the rack, an encompassing portion of one of said sustaining members, and a rack-turning instrumentality adjacent said collar.

5. Apparatus for icing cakes and the like including a traveling element; a pair of rack-sustaining members carried thereby; one of said members being provided with a bearing portion; the other member being formed with a boss receiving and locking portion; and a rack journaled in said eyeportion and provided with a flat-sided boss having a holding position in said locking portion and a rotative position therein when elevated out of said locking portion.

6. Apparatus for icing cakes and the like including a traveling element; supporting drums around which said element travels; a series of spaced-apart rack-sustaining members hooked onto said element; one of said elements being formed with a rack-receiving eye-portion; the other member being provided with a boss-receiving portion formed with substantially parallel sections and with an enlarged space thereabove; a rack having one end journaled and rotatable in said eye-portion and provided at its opposite end with a collar formed with a flat-sided boss and a complemental disk adapted to occupy a position alternately between said parallel sections by which it is held against rotative movement and in said enlarged space Wherein it is free to rotate and to permit the rack to rotate.

7. Apparatus for icing cakes and the like including a traveling element; supporting drums around which said element travels; a series of spaced-apart rack-sustaining members hooked onto said element; one of said elements being formed with a rack-receiving eye-portion; the other member being provided with a boss-receiving portion formed with substantially parallel sections and with an enlarged space thereabove; a rack having one end journaled and rotatable in said eyeportion and provided at its opposite end with a collar formed with a flat-sided boss and a complemental disk adapted to occupy a position alternately between said parallel sections by which it is held against rotative movement and in said enlarged space wherein it is free to rotate and to permit the rack to rotate; and a turning-instrumentality on said rack for lifting and rotating the rack.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE COLLIS.

WVitnesses:

W. P. KERNAN,

Gno. SKELTON.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 0! Patents, Washington ID. 0. 

